Shoe fastener



May 6, 1924.

L. KERN SHOE FASTENER Filed Feb. 9,

M T M V W WITNESSES 64 L.KERN

A TTORNE Y8 Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES lAdEfitS LAWRENCE KERN, or FRANKFORDfPHILADELPHEIIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHOE FASTENER.

Application filed February 9, 1923. Serial 110,618,090.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE KERN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Frankford, Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Shoe Fastener, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in shoes, and has articular reference to a fastening means t erefor.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved fastening means which may be readily applied-to an ordinary shoe without necessitating any changes in the construction thereof and which, when in position, will be effective in facilitating the operation of lacing and removing the shoe.

The above and other objects will appear more clearly from the following detail description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of ashoe showing the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4: is a section on the line 1-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Figure 1.

The invention is shown as applied to a shoe 6 having the usual upper 7 provided with the lacing strips 8, wherein a plurality of eyelets 9 are formed, as in the ordinary shoe.

The present invention includes a plurality of eye members 10 each of substantially U shaped formation having adjacent each end thereof an enlargement 11 of slightly greater diameter than that of the eyelets 9, the extremities 12 of the eye member being screw threaded, as indicated in Figure 2 Each eye member 10 is made of sufficient length to permit of the extremities 12 thereof being introduced into two adjacent eyelets 9 and the eye members disposed on one of the lacing strips 8 are arranged in staggered relation with respect to those on the other lacing strip.

In order to secure the eye members 10 in and clamps the lacing strip therebetween so as to securely maintain theeye member in position. From this description it will be obvious that the eye members may be readily and quickly placed in position and removed from the shoe whenever desired.

In order to fasten the shoe to the foot and draw the sections of the upper together over the instep, a single lacing member 15 is provided which may be made of any suitable flexible material and, if desired, may also be made resilient. to permit of a degree of flexibility in the upper of the shoe. At one end of the lacing member 15 the same is provided with a hook 16 (see Figure 5) adapted to be introduced into one of the lowermost eyelets 9 to secure the member to the shoe, after which the other extremity of the member is alternately passed through eye members 10 on the opposite lacing strips, "as clearly shown in Figure 1.

' To secure the upper end of the member in place, the invention further contemplates the provision of a clasp having cooperating members 17 and 18 pivotally connected at adjacent ends at 19. The members 17 and 18 may be made of flexible material so, that the free extremity of the member 18 may be snapped over the rolled end 20 of the mem: ber 17 when adjusting the members to their clamping position. The inner surface of the member 17 may be provided with an instruck portion 21 to restrict the space between the inner surfaces of the members 17 and 18 so as to securely clamp the portion of the member 15 extending between said clamping members in position. The member 17 is also provided intermediate its ends with an outwardly extending screw threaded shank 22 designed to be projected into one of the uppermost eyelets 9 and to have threaded thereon a fastening device 23 similar to the fastening devices 14 employed to secure the eye members 10 in position.

What is claimed is:

A lacing eyelet to be used with shoes in- 7 cludingabody having its ends bent laterally threaded, and fastening devices engageable and capable of insertion into permanent With the threads of said ends and with the eyelets in a shoe, said ends being provided portion of the shoe opposite that engaged by 10 With enlargements of greater diameter said enlargements to retain said body in than said permanent eyelets and capable of fixed position.

covering the latter eyelets when the body is in position, said ends being also screw LAWRENCE KERN. 

